Major security threat to the energy fair ONS in Stavanger – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio

Over 60,000 people and 94 countries. On Monday, ONS 2024 starts in Stavanger. The biggest players in oil, gas and other energy in the world gather here. ONS is organized once every four years. But this year something is different. Dropping underwater drone exhibition – We have chosen not to exhibit our autonomous underwater drone this year. Elin Melberg is head of the Offshore Project Group in Oceaneering. For security reasons, they do not want to show the underwater drone that they showed at the same fair in 2022. – We don’t want to have it here physically, says Melberg. Elin Melberg in Oceaneering says they do not want to exhibit their underwater drone. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news More critical now According to the head of PST in the Sør-West police district, Stig Ledaal, there may be people connected to foreign intelligence at the fair. – ONS is in the middle of the target area for some countries’ intelligence services. There is a greater threat now than before. Ledaal specifically mentions Russia, China and Iran as the biggest intelligence threats. Head of the Police Security Service (PST) South-West, Stig Ledaal. He says PST will be available to the public during the fair. Photo: Erik Waage / ¨news PST asks exhibitors and others present at ONS to have a low threshold for reporting if suspicious incidents occur. – Given the security policy situation and Norway’s role as an energy supplier to Europe, the focus from foreign countries is even greater now than before. Ledaal says that Russian and other intelligence can use anyone on missions in other countries. Russian companies are not present at ONS due to the war with Ukraine. But China is this year’s ONS the second largest exhibitor as a nation. – We have always had many Chinese exhibitors. We don’t initially see anything serious about it, but we have a watchful eye, says head of ONS, Leif Johan Sevland. Head of ONS, Leif Johan Sevland. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news – Well aware of the threat Sevland says they are well aware of the threat from foreign intelligence. – We have made everyone who will be here aware of how we share information and how we communicate with others. he says. Sevland points out that the offshore industry is advanced and therefore a target for espionage. – There are things that you do offshore that are interesting militarily. This time there are different threats than there were two years ago. A good hour before the opening of ONS on Monday, there were large police forces in place at the fairgrounds. Photo: Øystein Ellingsen / news. The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority has also banned drones in the area around the fair during ONS. Published 26/08/2024, at 13.38



ttn-69